James gilbert



(No Model.)

J. GILBERT.

GAS GBNERATING PURNAGB.

No. 397,907. Paten-ted Feb. 19,'1889..

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NrTnn STATES PATENT Orifice,

CHARLES E. LEE,

OF SAME PLACE.

GAS-G EN ERATING FU RNACE.

SPECIFCATION "forming part of Letters Patent No. 397,907, dated February 19, 1889.

Application led March 13, 1888. Serial No. 267,083. (No model.)

To all 107mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES GILBERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Generating Furnaces; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make use the same.

My invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing illuminating` and heating gas in which steam is decomposed by passing it through incandescent fuel in a cupola-furnace, and wherein hydrocarbon oil is vaporized and mixed with the hydrogen gas in the same chamber, and the mixed carbureted gases conducted to a separate chamber, where they are converted into a fixed homogeneous gas.

In the d eviccs which have hitherto been employed for this purpose it has been common to use one or more retorts arranged with dripshelves forming chambers alternately communicating with each other, whereby the oil or hydrocarbon is made to pursue a tortuous downward course and in which the gases generated have passed upwardly through the retort and out at the top. In these retorts the oil-supply pipes have been so arranged as to introduce the oil only at the top of the retort above the series of shelves, and the fire-grate and fuel have been located upon one side only of the series of shelves, permitting only one side of the retort to come directlyin contact with the :fuel and its products of ccmbustion.

The object of my invention is to produce a furnace with its retorts so arranged therein as to be equally heated on both sides, in combination with oil-supply pipes so arranged that the oil can be introduced at various points along the series of inclined retorts, whereby the supply thereto can be regulated to vaporize the oil and carburet the hydrogen gas in the most economical and rapid manner.

lith these ends in view my invention consists in the peculiar mechanism and combina tion of parts more fully described hereinafter, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying' drawings, Figure l represents a side elevation in crosssectionthrough lines @c t of Fig. 2, which latter shows my complete invention, also in cross-section through lines y y of Fig. l; and Fig. 3 representsa plan in crosssection of the generating chamber or furnace.

The reference-ligure l indicates a gas-generating cupola-furnace having an oval shape and provided with a central partition, 2, eX- tending across its shorter diameter. Located in this partition are a number of retorts, 3, arranged one above the other in vertical series, and each sloping in a direction opposite to that of the adjoining or contiguous one, as shown more clearly in Fig. l.. These retorts are preferably rectangular, as shown in Fig. 2, and in order to make them accessible for the purpose of cleaning, observatio1'1,or in some instances to replenish them with solid carbonaceous substances the opposite ends of each are provided with entrance-pipes 7 and 8, extending out a short distance from the outer face of the furnace and provided with removable caps or covers 9 and 10. The covers f) and l0 upon the lower ends of the retorts are provided with observation-ports l1, covered by suitable doors, 12, which are kept normally closed. By this means the interior of the retorts can be examined without removing the larger caps, 9 and l0. Oil is introduced into each retort by means of the main supply-pipes 13 and ll, located upon opposite sides of the furnace and provided with short branch pipes l5, containing valves lo. Each retort is provided with a series of openings, 40, for the escape of the hydrocarbon vapors. The retorts are made to communicate with each other .by openings 17, which extend through the bottom of the lower end of one retort into the top of the upper end of the next retort below. This arrangement compels the oil to pursue a gradual zigzag course throughout the retorts while it is un dergoing' vaporization by the intense heat of the incandescent fuel. The flow of the oil is indicated by the arrows a.. The lowest retort of the series is provided with an opening, 18, which allows any possible residuum to escape into the firefchamber 19. The base 2O of the partition serves to separate the ash-pit into IOO two compartments, cach of which is provided with openings and an air-blast pipe, Q6, located at one end ot the partition-hase. The lfuel 2li is supported upon a pair olf gratos, 2l, loeatel'l upon opposite sides ot the partition 2. The main hlast-pipe 2o supplies air to hoth hlast-pipes 27. The size ot' these pipes 2o' is such as to supply an equal amount ot air to hoth bodies olf luel on opposite sides ot' the partition. (`linluu-openings are made through the l'urimee-walls ahove the grate hon vapors e, proceeding outl ol; the retorts through the openings eltl, hoth ot' the g: s

:2lto enahle t he lire-ehanihers l ..l tohe eleared lwhen necessary. 'lhese i'lpenings are provided with tho usual gas-pipe eaps, 2U.

Fuel is supplied to thelurnaee through the l openings l-, provided with sealing-eaps in the top ol' the generating-ehamher. A l'lue, il eonnectsthe upper part ot the generating` or lire chamber lll with lower part olf the ilixer 32, said ehalnher are eonveyed to the lower part of the fixer. 'lhe llow ol' the gas up through the superlieater is made lortuous hy a series ot' latterally-exteiuling shelves, ll, arranged in sneh a manner as to torni ehamhers alterl iatel \v eomn'iunieat in e' wi th eaeh oth er. Steam is introduced direet y into the lue'l hy the valve-pipes or nozzles Il, whieh pass through the walls olf the lfurpaee and into the lower part ol" the chamhtns lll.

lhe top ol' the tixer is oll well-hmnvn Construction, lning ]A rovi ha'l with an ollening, -ll, having a valve, 235. lhe pipe ills, leading out from the superheater, conveys the gas to any suitahle seruhher or purilier.

Aside `trom the novel Ifeatures already deserihed, the furnfu-e and its auxiliariesI may he huilt in any well-l nown or approved manner.

rlhe retorts van, hy means olf their open ends and removahle raps, he provided with solid earlwnn'ieeous suhstanees l'or the purpose ol.' enriching thehydrfigen gas; hut the)v are more espetaalIy adapted l`or liquid h vdrot earhon, which l prel'er to use.

Il'aving thus deserihed the l'nelerred eonstruetion ol' my inventioiul will now proeefa'l to set I'orth the manner in whieh it eau he sneeessl'nlly operated.

Alfter having hlown the ,l'uel lo ini-andeseenee hy a hlast oli' air through the h'lastpipes li while the lurnaee is open `in the usual manner,the l'urnaee is then sealed and the liquid hydroearhon oroil .fulmitted to the retorts thrf'lugh the supply and hraneh pipes 13, ll, and The lower valves ot' the hraneh pipes may he kept closed, while the oil enters at the upper end oli' the highest retort through hraneh pipe l5. llt then llows slowly down the inclined surlaee ot` t-he tirst retort to the opening l7 in the hottom of .its lower end, and il not vaporized hy the time it reaehes this opiniing it will fall into the upper end ol' and, entering the retort loeated linst helow, this seeond retort, it will flow through which flue the mixed gases l'roni t in a direction opposite to that of the one through which it has j ust passed, and so on until it has reached the lire at the outlet 1S, or until. it has heeonie entirely vaporized hy the heat et' the ineamleseenttuoi. While the oil is thus heing onverted into vapor, steam is admitted into or through the incandescent- Iuel l'rom the steanrpipes tl, as indieated h v the arrows l). Alter the hydrogen has 'passed thri'iugh the ineandeseent' l'uel, it unites with and is enriched hy the hydrocaruniting in the upper part o1.' the geiierating eliamher, whenee they pass into the tixer 3:3 ria pipe or flue Ill.

'lhel'n'oeess thus hriel'ly set t'orth, hei ng well known in the art, will not re( uire Yt'urther deseription.

in order to hasten the entrance ol. the oil,

` a slight stream may he admitted through `all the hraneh supply-pipes at;y once, which operation saves the time usually consumed in waiting lior it: to travel tlnough a whole series ot' retorts, and as the furnace begins to cool and gradually heeomes less eapahle ol' valimrizing the oil the lower valves in the hraneh pipes eau he turned ol'l, so that a small amount ot' oil will he. slowly admittmfl into the highest retort. llly this arrange mont the hydrogen gas ean he ijfarhureted to any desired degree with great laeility.

llaving thus desmihed my invention, what l elaim as new, and desire to seeure hy lietl. '.lhe eomhimttion, in a gas-generatillg furnace, olf a central partition having liren grates upon its opposite sides, a series ol inclined retorts heing made to communicate with eaeh other and each heing provided with a separate oil-supply pipe at its upper end, a gas-tight cover at its opposite end and having oril'iees extending into the l'urnaee-cham her along their upper intrts, a valve loeated in eaeh ot' said oil-supply pipes, an airshlast; loeatiu'l helow said grates, outlet-pipes loeated atthe top ot' the t'ifirnaee, and the valves l'or sealing the furnace, all arranged and' athujited to operate substantially as described.

L. The herein-deserihet'l gas-generatin `l'urnaee havingaeentral partition provided with inelinei'l lretorts eon'iniunieating with eaeh other, eaeh retort having a separate tilitsupply pipe at itsl upper end, and a gas-tight eover at its lower end, and a series ol' open ings leading into the turnaee-ehamher along the upper part, in the manner and lor the purpose suhstantially as deserihod.

In testimony whereoli'] al'lix mysignature in presence ol two witnesses.

` JAMES tllllllit'l. Vd'itnessesz F. l). Miur., A. EA 'I')U.\' 11..\N.

TOO 

